Straw-cutter



ENSIGN BAKER, OF FREDONIA, NEW' YORK.

STRAW-CUTTER.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 24,186, dated May 31, 1859.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ENSIGN BAKER, of Fredonia, in the county of Chautauqua and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Machine for Cutting Straw, Stalks, Roots, &c.; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which Figure 1, is a side elevation of my invention. Fig. 2, is a detached inner face view of the cutter wheel, cam and ledger knife of the same. Fig. 3, is a plan or top view of my invent-ion. Fig. 4, is a detached view of the feeding device of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corre sponding parts in the several figures.

This invention consists in the employment or use of a cutter wheel and ledger knife in connection with a knife lock, and also in the employment or use of a feeding device arranged in a novel way to operate automatically and conjointly with the cutting device, the whole being arranged as hereinafter fully shown and described, whereby a very efficient implement is obtained and one well adapted for general use, that is to say, for cutting straw, stalks, roots, and all substances that are used as fodder for stock.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention, I will proceed to describe it. i

A, represents a framing which may be constructed in any proper way to support the working parts of the implement at a suitable height, and B, is a feed box placed on the upper part of the framing, said feed box being of the usual form and construction. On the front part of the framing A, there is placed longitudinally a shaft C, and on the front part of this shaft a wheel D, is placed, said wheel extending over the mouth of the feed box B, as shown clearly in Fig. 8, To the inner or face side of the wheel B, two knives E, E, are secured. These knives have a somewhat tangential position and extend from the periphery of the wheel to a circle concentric with the wheel. On the shaft C, and adjoining the ,wheel D, an elliptical cam F, is placed, and to the outer end of each knife E, a hook G, is attached, said hooks projecting nearly at right angles from the ends of the knives. I On the inner end of shaft 0, a crank H, is placed, said crank projecting at equal distances from opposite sides of the shaft and having a treadle H, connected to one of its ends by a rod I.

To the bottom of the feed box B, and at its mouth a ledger knife J, is attached at one end by a pivot a, the opposite end of the knife resting on the cam F, see Fig. 2. The outer end of the knife J, has a hook a*,

formed on it. In the front part of the feed box B, a fluted feed roller K, is placed, the bearings of the roller shaft having springs b, pressing on them and at the same time permitting the feed roller to yield or give according to the thickness of the layer of stuff being out. To one end of the shaft of the feed roller K, a ratchet c, is attached, said ratchet being at the outer side of the feed box, and having a rack cZ, gearing into 'it, said rack being kept in gear with the The lower end of ratchet by a spring cZ*. the rack d, is pivoted in a socket e, which is attached to a spring L, that is secured to the under side of the feed box- B. This spring may be adjusted by a set screw f, underneath the feed box, as shown in Fig. 4.

The operation is as follows. The stuff to be cut is placed in the feed box B, and the operator by working the treadle H, with his foot, rotates the cutter wheel D, and also rotates intermittently the feed roller K, in consequence of the crank H, actuating the spring L, to which the rack (Z, is attached. The knives E, E, work or traverse over the edge of the ledger knife J, which at the time of its contact with the knives E, E, is

raised by the action of the cam F, the knife J, being locked or its cutting edge kept in close contact with the knives E, E, while the latter are passing over it, in consequence of the hooks G, G, at the ends of the knives E, passing over the hook a, at the end of the knife J. This locking of the knives is an important feature of the invention as it insures a perfect and easy cutting operation, in consequence of. the cutting edges of the knives being kept in close contact as they pass over each other. The cam F, is placed on the shaft C, in such a position that it may actuate the knife J, at the proper time, that is to say, when the knives E, E, are passing over it, and the crank H, has such a relative position with the cam F, and knivesclined bottom may be placed on the feed box, as shown in F ig. 1, and the inner side of the cutter wheel may have a board N, attached to serve as a bearing surface and additional teeth 0", may also be employed, said teeth being small spurs to cut the slices in a transverse direction to the cuts of the knives E, E.

I do not claim broadly and separately a ledger blade or knife J, for that has been previously used, but

What I do claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is,

1. The employment or use of the ledger knife J, provided with the hook a"", actutially as shown to feed the stufi intermittently to the knives, as described.

ENSIGN BAKER.

Vitnesses:

A. H. JUDsoN, JNO. C. 'MULLETT. 

